Posted Aug. 8, 2014 @ 10:35 am
BOXFORD
By Anna Burgess
aburgess@wickedlocal.com
Topsfield resident Jeffy Demeter believes there is a toxin in the water—fluoride.
Demeter is part of a growing coalition of people in Massachusetts, and throughout the country, who are questioning the addition of fluoride to public water supplies. Fluoride has been in the Topsfield water supply since 1953, when Town Meeting voted to add it because of its oral health benefits. Today, the compound is still used topically by dental professionals, but Demeter likens it to a poison when ingested regularly.
Three years ago, she began learning about the possible negative effects of fluoride, and this summer she took action in her hometown.
"I thought, there’s no better time than now," Demeter said. "This issue has to be decided by local governments. That’s how it got into the water, and that’s how we’re going to take it out."
Demeter decided to petition for a Special Town Meeting to vote on whether to continue fluoridating the town’s water supply. She has collected more than 210 signatures over the course of the past few weeks, but said she has been mostly focused on educating people curious about fluoride.
"Some people don’t even realize it’s in our water," she said. "I try to give them a basic overview and see how much they want to listen to."
In addition to collecting signatures, Demeter came before the Topsfield Board of Health twice this summer to present her case against water fluoridation. Topsfield Health Agent John Coulon noted that Demeter’s presentations were thoughtful and professional, but that the Board of Health has chosen not to taken any action based on Demeter’s information.
"They remain interested in it as a subject," Coulon said, "but at this time the board has decided to not take action."
The board’s decision, Coulon said, is based on the fact that some of the claims against fluoridation "are documented with no more than anecdotal evidence."
Risk factors
But for Demeter, the evidence is there.
"In Topsfield, the fluoride added is sodium fluoride," she said, "which is a toxic byproduct of the aluminum industry in China and Japan."
Sodium fluoride is linked to many health problems, Demeter added, including thyroid disease, bone cancer, and arthritis.
"Fluoride is a known toxic chemical, and the FDA classifies it as an unapproved drug," she said. Fluoridated water has never been approved for safety or effectiveness by the FDA or the EPA, she added.
In terms of how much fluoride can do damage, Coulon said there’s no one answer. "It’s going to differ depending on the individual and the level of exposure," he said.
Coulon agreed with Demeter that children, especially infants, would be much more susceptible to harmful effects of fluoride.
"One of the stronger claims against fluoride is that it breaks down the blood-brain barrier," he said, "which is intended to protect our brain cells from materials that are harmful to us."
Other than possible risk factors, Demeter said she wants the public to be able to make an informed decision. Coulon noted that whatever is done to the public drinking water "is accessible to the public."
But right now, Demeter said, Topsfield residents have no choice as to whether they ingest fluoride.
"I think we should have a choice what drugs we’re taking," she said, "and when it’s in the water, we don’t."
Benefits of fluoride
So why was fluoride added to public water in the first place?
"At one time, it was felt that fluoride was essential to proper long-range dental care and oral health of communities," Coulon said, "and it was determined that adding fluoride to the public water supply was an effective and innocuous way to deliver this to many people."
Dentists still apply fluoride during routine teeth cleanings, and the American Dental Association still supports fluoridated public water supplies.
But "the objection is chronic exposure unknowingly," Coulon said. "You cannot count on how much you’re getting when you go from one municipality to another."
In addition to this uncertainty, Coulon noted that there are different types of fluoride, and some have the potential to be much more harmful than others.
These risks aside, Demeter and others against fluoridated water say the practice is questionably effective at best.
"There’s a claim by opponents that diet and genetics play a greater part [in dental health]," Coulon explained, "if not the total effect."
A decision for residents
The future of Topsfield’s water fluoridation — or lack there of — will be decided at the Special Town Meeting required by Demeter’s signed petition.
"According to Massachusetts General Law," Demeter explained, "the Board of Health has the power to raise the fluoride level if they choose, but the residents have the final word."
She said she’s not really thinking about the Special Town Meeting, which won’t have a date until she submits her petition, but she is feeling generally optimistic.
"I don’t see any strong opposition by any group, but I’m taking it one step at a time and we’ll see how it goes," she said. "I’m looking forward to a positive discussion."
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